This year marks the 10th anniversary of Jamal Abdulla Lootah as group CEO of Imdaad, and his sixth consecutive stint occupying the number one spot on the fmME Power 50 ranking.

Lootah’s consolidation as the most influential player in the region’s FM sector has come on the back of an impressive 2017 for the firm. Imdaad went from strength to strength, as 2017 saw UAE’s largest FM company add a few aspects to its arsenal especially from an operational stand point.

Firstly, it opened its dedicated fleet management facility that will cater to its waste compactor fleet. Imdaad also switched to biofuel for its fleet commissioning a new biofuel station

at its Jebel Ali facility. The last 12 months have also seen Imdaad sign several high-profile

contracts, MoUs and agreements. In January this year, Imdaad announced it would invest up to $16m (AED60m) in the acquisition of local firms as part of its expansion plan for 2017.

This is on the back of acquiring a firefighting and a lift installation andmaintenance company in 2016. In terms of contracts won, Imdaad’s three-year deal to provide FM services for Dubai Maritime City was one of its largest at $1.08m (AED4m). The scope of services included hard and soft services such as HVAC, MEP, civil works and cleaning services.

Lootah’s vision is to keep Imdaad firmly ahead of its competitors through constantly investing in new technologies and maintaining a high standard of services along with strong commitment to the environment and sustainable practices, while investing more than $540,000 (AED2m) every year to train and grow its people.

That ideology is reflected in the R&D facility Imdaad pledged to invest in — a dedicated department within its head office in Dubai. For the first year, Imdaad has committed to spending 3% of its revenue on setting up and developing the R&D function, and the financial commitment will increase in later years depending on business needs.